Morning Links: Rockies News 2/19

Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

With Spring Training heating up, we can finally start to feel re-engaged with baseball once again. Beat writers are conducting interviews and taking videos. Players are boasting about the fine shape they are in and offering their expectations for the season. Even if you live somewhere like I do where a blizzard is expected in the next 24 hours, it is nice to see actual baseball on the way.

In that spirit, here is what’s happening with the Colorado Rockies:

From Jonah Keri: The 30: Offseason Stock Report (Grantland)

"The good news is that the Rockies acquired Brett Anderson from Oakland this winter, and will soon get a gigantic boost from two of the best pitching prospects in the game: fireballing right-handers Jonathan Gray and Eddie Butler. Gray, the third overall pick in last year’s draft, made just five starts at Class A in 2013, but he’s a 6-foot-4, 255-pound pitching machine, with high-level collegiate experience at Oklahoma and the kind of build, delivery, and raw stuff to suggest he could surge through the minors and crack the big-league roster as soon as this summer. Butler, a supplemental first-round pick in 2012, also boasts a high-90s fastball, along with a terrific changeup.”"

From Dave Cameron: The Best Transactions of the 2014 Off-Season (FanGraphs)

"The Astros acquire Dexter Fowler. Cost: Brandon Barnes and Jordan Lyles…In exchange for two reasonably priced arbitration years of a quality player with remaining upside, the Astros gave up two fringe talents that they won’t miss in any real way. This move flew under the radar because it was completed during the busiest day of the off-season, but the Astros picked up a ton of value in this deal."

From Troy Renck (via Twitter)